Filed Date: March 27, 1972
Closed Date: March 25, 1974
Clearinghouse coding complete
In 1972, inmates of the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, North Carolina sued the County, the Sheriff, and other jail officials in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, challenging conditions and practices in the jail as unconstitutional under the First, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. The inmates alleged they were put in solitary confinement and exposed to unsanitary conditions for weeks at a time without justification. Also, the inmates alleged failure of the Sheriff to deliver or allow them to receive mail. They sought damages and equitable relief. The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina (Judge James Bryan McMillan) held that the solitary confinement violated the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment when imposed for more than specified periods for certain types of solitary confinement. Berch v. Stahl, 373 F. Supp. 412 (W.D.N.C. 1974). The court also ordered that the inmates were not to be deprived of attorney visits, mail from courts and attorneys, telephone calls to attorneys, and writing materials. The decision was not appealed, and no docket is available on PACER.
Summary Authors
Kristen Sagar (6/6/2007)
McMillan, James Bryan (North Carolina)
Daly, George (North Carolina)
Aycock, Frank B. III (North Carolina)
Cobb, James O. (North Carolina)
McMillan, James Bryan (North Carolina)
Last updated March 25, 2024, 3:01 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: North Carolina
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: March 27, 1972
Closing Date: March 25, 1974
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
inmates at the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, North Carolina
Public Interest Lawyer: Unknown
Filed Pro Se: Unknown
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Granted
Defendants
County Sheriff, Private Entity/Person
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Order Duration: 1974 - None
Issues
General:
Sanitation / living conditions
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Type of Facility: